Danny Meyer

For the majority of industry folks, Danny Meyer is a mentor who is synonymous with Service Excellence. Enlightened Hospitality is the foundation of his business philosophy where "Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. Those two simple propositions - for and to - express it all".

Of course, my ultimate goal is to have him as a contributor/service coach on my blog. But for now, you must read his book Setting the Table. In the book's Introduction, there is a paragraph that truly resonates;

"Within moments of being born, most babies find themselves receiving the first four gifts of life: eye contact, a smile, a hug, and some food. We receive many other gifts in a lifetime, but few can ever surpass those first four. That first time may be the purest 'hospitality transaction' we'll ever have, and it's not much of a surprise that we'll crave those gifts for the rest of our lives. I know I do."

There are many great quotes and stories, I feel silly highlighting the whole book so go and read it for yourself. Enjoy.

P.s. check out this video Insite 2013 The Power of Hospitality